Saturday, February 4, 2017

TEDTalks, A Resource for Speakers & Writers

To reach our biggest audience, often writers are called
on to be able to speak in public. When some of us hear that, we perk our ears
up like a good bird dog. Send me after it.

Others run and hide under the porch. Writing in the
solitary of our homes, on our back porch, or at our favorite coffee house does
not prepare us for standing in front of two, twenty, or two hundred people. Why,
we’d have to get out of our pj’s. (Just the thought made you tremble, didn’t it?)

But there could come that opportunity to get out of the
house and share about that topic you care about with others. And public
speaking, whether in person or through a monitor is becoming even more popular.
You know your story matters. What do you do?

The TED Conference is known for the series of talks they
put on each year. The goal is simple, to share ideas worth spreading. They
invite some of the brightest minds across the world to come and speak on a
variety of topics, from how a brain works, to the solar system, to how bacteria
“talk”. Some of the speakers are experienced at speaking to large audiences,
some aren’t.

In his book, TEDTalks, Chris Anderson has written what he calls the official TED guide to
public speaking. It’s not a workbook giving an outline that ALL speakers HAVE
to follow. In fact, he says that there aren’t any rules.

Writers, heard that before?

Instead, the book is a guide with tips from some of
their most popular speakers. Some of the advice even contradicts itself.

Here are some
tips for speakers I think are helpful for all of us.

Be Yourself. Yes,
we can learn from watching someone else, but we shouldn’t try to be them when
we’re speaking. Learn what works for you. Some of us can have the audience
rolling on the floor because of a joke or story we told. If you know you can’t
tell jokes, that’s okay. Tell your story in the style that is most comforting
to you.

Should you pace or stand still? Again, find what feels
natural to you.

The audience will be more interested in seeing your
passion than hearing a joke or watching your arms. Anderson writes, “Your number-one mission as a speaker is to
take something that matters deeply to you and to rebuild it inside the minds of
your listeners.”

That’s a great goal for a writer, too.

And if you’re nervous, welcome to the club. I used to
tell myself that if I wasn’t nervous, I didn’t care enough. Anderson says your
audience will forgive your nervousness. They may actually start pulling for you
even more.

Have a Point. He
calls it a throughline. A connective thought tying everything together. As a
pastor, I thought my best sermons, the ones where there was the least snoring, had
a theme connecting the entire sermon without rambling in different directions.

This, also, helped me remember what I was saying and
what came next.

I’ll try nearly anything to keep from having that “Duh”
moment in front of people.

Keep the
Audience First. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the audience is more interested
in hearing how they can apply what you have to say, than in you. (I know. I’m
working on my sensitivity.) Instead of worrying about how you can make them
think better of you, see what you can share with them to assist them in their situation.

This takes the focus off you, and puts it on the
listener. You will find it will make them pay closer attention.

There have been over two thousand TED Talks given, and
by 2012 they had been viewed on their website over a billion (with a B) times
in 110 languages. Speakers have included Bill Clinton, Billy Graham, Elizabeth
Gilbert, Jane Goodall, and Bono. And all of them had to complete their talks in
eighteen minutes.

Eighteen minutes. Which brings us to preparation.

Be Prepared. (I was an Eagle Scout, you know.) If you care about your audience, and your
reputation, go over what you plan to say. Anderson goes over several ways to
prepare for a talk. Some of their speakers made an outline, others wrote out
each word, and some just formed it in their minds. The plan that will work best
for you depends on your personality and your topic.

But he does say you need to go over it several times
before you walk on stage.

TED Talks is
full of helpful advice. He goes over how to set up the stage, what to wear, how
to connect with the audience, and so much more.

You’ll find that this book is a handy reference for
when you are preparing for any speaking opportunities that come your way. After
reading it, not only will you want to give your talk, you will feel equipped to
do it successfully.

If you have any advice or questions for speakers,
please leave them in the comments below. I would love to hear from you. As the
performers on stage say, break a leg.

Tim Suddeth has been published in Guideposts’ The Joy of Christmas and on www.christiandevotions.us. He’s working on his third manuscript and looks forward to seeing his name on a cover. He is a member of ACFW and Cross n Pens. Tim’s lives in Greenville, SC with his wife, Vickie, and his happy 19-year-old autistic son, Madison. Visit Tim at www.TiminGreenville.com and on Facebook and Twitter. He can be also reached at timingreenville@gmail.com

19 comments:

Thanks for sharing, Tim. I'd watched several Ted Talks and some of them can benefit us writers. Some of the best speakers are storytellers themselves, which is something that should come naturally to us writers.

This is all good advice, but I'm sure that readers are wondering, "What on earth does TED stand for?" The acronym is never defined in the article. For those who are wondering, it stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. Knowing that up front would have been helpful and saved some time researching. :)

A timely word! I am speaking at our state's homeschool convention this May, which is attended by thousands. I have a breakout session and likely an audience size around 200. That's an intimidating thought!

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful article also please advise some more important points in brief which should be kept in mind when we are going for stage performance as a speaker ,and how can we give our 100% on a stage ? and i guess these might be beneficial for the new readers or the audience.

when I graduated 3 years ago (interior design) I had to do a presentation of my capstone project in front of an audience. I was so nervous (even though I'm also an actress). But on the day of, I ACED it - I knew my project inside and out but I wrote out what I wanted to say, slide by slide, and recited it over and again. I recorded it on my phone and listened to it as I was driving. then I printed it out in 14 or 16 point font so I could refer to it easily. Turns out, i never looked at my written bit once, but was interactive with my powerpoint pesentation and the audience. The Dean of the School was so impressed with my design and my presentation! I'll never be nervous like that again. * all in the prep!

I enjoyed this post as well. "Eighteen minutes" is what floored me. Wow. I need to trim back! I get nervous when asked to speak, but thorough prayer and preparation help. Plus, it's true. Keep reminding yourself why you're there. What are you passionate about sharing? God has you there for a purpose. All we have to do is give our best and He'll do the rest.